I’ve talked about it before, but Amazon is doing some amazing wheeling and dealing as it attempts to make up some ground on iTunes with an MP3 Download store of it’s own. Friday, it was the Jay-Z opus Blueprint 3, which I picked up for $3.99 (SO worth it!), and today, it’s Nelly Furtado’s Mi Plan for a mere $2.99. The whole disc comes out in stores tomorrow, but Amazon has been getting some cool deals where they release CDs one day early. It is only a matter of time before the standard Tuesday release day is a distant memory, and music will come out when it’s ready to come out. Here’s a quick clip from VH1 talking about the impetus for this all-Spanish record.
If you want a full, thoughtful recap of the VMAs, look no further than Rich’s amazing breakdown of the events (with some amazing screen caps) at fourfour, because he gets almost all of it. I disagree slightly on one or two points, but overall, he needs to get out of my head right now.
Having given you the full breakdown, there are a couple of things that I feel compelled to highlight.
– Madonna, for all of her bad choices of late, is being hailed as a class act for her introduction. Leave it to me to throw cold water on that one. Her intent may have been good, and I believe she was completely sincere in her commentary, but to create this intense bond via the similarities of their circumstances, and then use it to say “he was more fucked up than I will ever be, but I hold myself (and all of you) responsible for his downward spiral” seemed a tad arrogant to me.
– I defeated myself with Janet, because the initial buzz made it sound like she was going to be the heart of this dance extravaganza, but cooler heads prevailed, and she did the most appropriate thing possible. The way they only used his part of the video dance scene, and then got the camera angle of her dancing with him in the right position, was perfection. My initial disappointment with the lack of Janet turned to relief that a) she didn’t embarrass herself; and b) she didn’t embarrass Michael.
– Speaking of Janet, after the show, she released a new song on her website that I am really enjoying. “Make Me” harkens back to that disco vibe of “All for You”, which leads me to believe that this is a product of her revived connection with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. More please!
– I’m torn on the best performance of the night. P!nk’s high-flying acrobatics to “Sober” were truly impressive, but for sheer fun and impact, Beyonce won me over with her army of “Single Ladies”. I got a bit of a kick out of Green Day inviting the entire audience up on the stage at the end of their song, too. Boos to the security gorillas dragging people off the stage after the invite.
– Lady GaGa, meet the jumping shark. Jumping shark, here’s your next victim.
I actually LAUGHED at the “death” scene. The blood was so hilarious to me that I am sure people in the next house over heard my guffaws. Note to GaGa…if you’re going to simulate a death and hanging on a family-rated awards show, use some subtlety. This is coming from a fan, so don’t take this as just another hater. Just calling it as I see it.
One more thing…Eminem got what he deserved when he realized that he would HAVE to hug the Lady out of protocol. Karma’s a bitch, bitch.
– I’m sure this won’t be a surprise to anyone, but I will go to the movie theater to see This Is It. For as ghoulish as he looks in parts of the trailer for the movie, it’s going to be a spectacle, and I will be there to see it.
– If anyone is going to get a sales bounce out of this show, I am hoping it is Muse, who completely deserves it. They rocked it out, and I will be looking for the CD coming out tomorrow. Oh, and Gerard Butler introduced them. Just sayin’.
– One final note…reason #74 why we love Kelly Clarkson.
Does it seem possible that we are going on three months since Michael Jackson died? It kind of boggles my mind, as it seems like only a couple of weeks ago we were inundated with non-stop coverage of the circus surrounding his death, with all the fixins. It’s easy to forget that the buzz around MJ prior to his early demise was whether his London-based concert would even see the light of day, let alone be turned into a highly-anticipated theatrical release. But through all of the craziness and sadness, there are some key lessons that I’ve been able to identify.
– The circus rolls on, even after you die – This one takes on two meanings in the wake of June 25th, as not only did the media become all-MJ, all the time, but they even reported mysterious MJ sightings, trying to link Michael to Elvis and Tupac. Not only did they report on every crumb of detail they could find out about Jackson’s life, they even tried to find an heir to the throne, as it was briefly reported that Kanye West had already identified himself as the new King of Pop (quickly disproven, but still).
– What you won’t do, do for fame – Dad is pimping side businesses, associates are rushing to publish tell-alls, and other family members are rush-releasing five-year-old recordings (see LeToya) and “tributes” (see Jermaine). I suppose it’s not a knock on anyone, but some of it just comes off a bit desperate. Even alleged son Omer Bhatti, who rumors have apparently floated for years about him being Michael’s love child, surfaced for the memorial service and even sat in the front row with the rest of the family. Tribute tour with all of his offspring is sure to follow.
– Good music evolves with you – I have a lot of Michael Jackson music in my library, but I hadn’t gone out of my way to listen to it specifically for quite a while. The surfacing of “Rock With You” remixed by Freemasons did cause me to revisit a bit of “Off the Wall” about two years ago, including the epic Frankie Knuckles remix of “Rock”, but that was a short-lived theme. Michael’s been pretty prominently in the mix for the past few months, though. There are songs that I have rediscovered (“P.Y.T” was somehow missing from my collection), songs that I have new appreciation for (“Stranger In Moscow”, for one), and songs that I feel vindicated for loving the first time around, regardless of what everyone else thought (“Blood on the Dancefloor”). No matter how deep into the catalog I go, though (“Farewell My Summer Love”, anyone?), nothing can top the pure joy of Knuckles’s interpretation of “Rock With You”.
If it’s close to fall, then the heavyweights of the industry must be jockeying for position on the shelves of CDs for Christmas purchases. From a country standpoint, two of the more high profile releases in the next few months are Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood. Carrie’s release Play On (due November 3rd) just got a nice PR bump due to a leak on the Internet, originally from a radio recording, but followed shortly after by a clean version. “Cowboy Casanova” has some similarities to “Before He Cheats”, but this recipe is 1/3 “Cheats”, spiced up with 1/3 “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” remixed, and blended in a 1/3 Shania Twain sassiness. At first listen, I was taken aback, but damn, if that’s not a catchy tune, I don’t know what is. Watch for this one on the Pop charts in the near future, as there’s got to be a non-country mix of this. (h/t Bill’s Top 40/Pop Blog)
Tim, on the other hand, is doing what he does best, with a clever set of lyrics talking about how much “pain” his relationship inflicts on him. The full-length disc out on October 20th is called Southern Voice, and it’s already up to preview on iTunes. You might recall the drama a year ago surrounding the release of this CD getting pushed back by Curb to make way for a miserably-selling Greatest Hits 3. We’ll have to wait and see what Tim’s next move is, now that his contract is fulfilled with Curb, but I can’t imagine he’s going to hang around. Originally I thought there might be a Live Nation deal in Tim’s future. Wouldn’t it be interesting if they set up a deal with Tim AND his wife, Faith Hill? Just food for thought.
Here’s the first single from Southern Voice entitled “It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You”.
Remember the 80s, when European acts stood just as much of a chance at charting in the US as native-born acts? That’s not quite where things are at right now, with 8 out of 10 acts in the Top 10 fronted by Americans, and a ninth (Drake) hailing from Canada. The sole European at the top of the Hot 100 this week is Jay Sean, who had to get signed to an American label to chart, features American rapper Lil Wayne, and hasn’t even hit the UK charts yet with his hit “Down”. In fact, you have to go all the way down to #57 to find an all-European act (Cascada). That’s pretty pitiful, but these things go in waves if you look back at the history of the American charts. So do the Europeans have any shots at making it big in the US any time soon? Well, maybe…
– Cascada is the obvious choice, because “Evacuate the Dancefloor” is quickly flying up the pop charts. While Lady GaGa moves on to single #4 with the darker “Paparazzi”, Cascada takes the RedOne formula and throws in enough of a twist (along with a killer chorus) to stand up on their own. Even H1N1 can’t stop this jam from reaching the Top 40, and I predict that it will follow “Everytime We Touch” into the Top 10. Here’s the Wideboys remix of the track.
– Sweden has a history of exporting pop stars for U.S. consumption, and Agnes Carlsson seems to have as good a chance as any others. “Release Me” is already getting some club play here, and the single was officially released in mid-August on Geffen Records. It’s not hard to see this single taking a similar climb to the top of the charts like Leona Lewis did close to two years ago.
– A month or so ago, I would have predicted that David Guetta would be on that list with “When Love Takes Over”, but after barely scratching the surface of pop airplay lists, the life of that single is all but over. In it’s place is “Sexy Bitch”, featuring Akon. “Bitch”, or “Chick” in a radio-friendly form, is starting to make a move, but is it the novelty of the song or the track itself that is pushing the popularity? The single has re-entered the Hot 100 at #92 this week, and the full-length is looking at a Top 50 debut, so we can only sit and wait to see what happens.
– Isn’t it about time for the Sugababes to attempt another run at the American music scene? On paper, they seem to have a formula for success, but “Get Sexy” will not be the single to do the job. Now, if the lead single is “About A Girl”, then there’s a chance that they might out-do the barely-Top 40 performance of “Hole In the Head”, which remains one of the great injustices of the past 10 years on the Hot 100. I posted “Girl” a couple of weeks ago, so I’m gonna post “Hole” instead. Ah, memories.
The initial offerings from Jay-Z’s “Blueprint 3” haven’t done much to compel me to pick up the disc, but Hova’s remake of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” may have just changed that. If ever there was a track that Mr Hudson’s voice was destined to cover, this would be the one. And although I don’t think it will happen, “Young Forever” is just SCREAMING for a remix.
And just for good measure, here’s the original (peaked at #93 in ’85, got to #65 from a re-release in ’88)…
I’ve been meaning to get back to my Mixed Tapes series for a couple of weeks, but it got shuffled to the back of my brain, and my memory got jogged this morning as I heard New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” on Radio 1.
Besides being a reminder that Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too has been on my to-do list for a while, hearing “Get” on the radio made me feel old, because I thought to myself “really solid songs don’t make it on to pop radio anymore”. Of course that’s not true, but the timelessness of that single and the rest of the record just doesn’t happen quite as much in the here and now, where people are constantly chasing the hottest featured artist, producer, or writer. I know I am painting with a broad stroke here, but it sure feels like it at times.
Brainwashed opens with “Mother We Just Can’t Get Enough”, and really sets the anti-establishment tone of the album. The song itself talks about a love (to my ears, I’m not sure if it’s a person or a drug, but these songs are open to interpretation), and “mother” is referenced in a way to say that she doesn’t approve, but she better get used to it. The ending, though, gets to the social commentary, talking about how everything in society is tied to numbers and money, as an automated recording says
Social Security Number please
Credit card number please
Money please
That flows right into the hit single “You Get What You Give”. Lead man (and only consistent member) Gregg Alexander yells out the count, and the song takes flight off of it, soaring throughout as Alexander sings about living life to the fullest. The infamous rap at the end name-checks Courtney Love, Hanson, Beck, and Marilyn Manson, and got more attention at the time, but in the full context, it’s an indictment of not only celebrity, but also government and big business. Alexander also rages against the machine and pop culture on other tracks, including highlight “I Hope I Didn’t Just Give Away the Ending”:
We caught a fey taxi driver
I smiled the ride was free
I felt like Amsterdam
She wanted more drugs and maybe me
I told her dealer I was broke
He hired a camera man
We did a porno film for coke
I hear I’m big in Japan
The highlight for me on this disc, though, is the ballad “Someday We’ll Know”, which describes the aftermath of a relationship, and uses a series of analogies to question why the relationship didn’t work out. As a twenty-something questioning why relationships never seemed to last for me, this song connected personally as well as musically.
Other strong tracks on the disc include “Jehovah Made This Whole Joint For You”, “Crying Like A Church On Monday”, and “Technicolor Lover”. In listening to the tape from start to finish, I’m struck first by how good it consistently is, but also by the cohesion between tracks. This is an album, not just a bunch of singles strung together. It’s good to know that in the midst of all the mediocre tapes that I still own, there are at least a couple that have stood the test of time.
Fun facts:
– Alexander is the producer behind “The Game of Love”, which nabbed Santana a Grammy.
– “Someday We’ll Know” was covered by Hall and Oates.
– Danielle Brisebois, who co-wrote “Someday” and worked on other tracks, played Stephanie, Edith Bunker’s niece’s daughter who Archie took in on Archie Bunker’s Place.
I have been in a slow drift away from country music recently, but on the recommendation of my friend Buck in Atlanta (who is currently writing for Project Q Atlanta), I checked out the new live disc from Sugarland. This duo, who actually began as a trio, started off as a breath of fresh air in country music, but got a bit stale for me on their last disc, Love on the Inside. Their live disc, Live on the Inside, proves that they can still be contemporary and relevant while remaining true to their country base. The record is primarily covers, but it’s what they choose that really makes it stand out. Two REM songs, the B-52s, Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, Beyonce (whose “Irreplaceable” they dueted on at the Grammys), and even Kings of Leon. It’s stunning how they can take a post-modern classic like Pearl Jam’s “Better Man” and reveal the country side of the track, but they do it over and over. If you don’t believe me, here is their version of REM’s “Nightswimming”, combined with their current single “Joey”.
I am pretty impressed that the first we are hearing of a new Saturdays single is via an official video, rather than a leaked track. The video is pretty throwaway, but the song is a good start for their upcoming CD. The song itself would seem to loan itself well to a ballad style, but after the first verse, a driving beat propels the track into the pop stratosphere, and there’s no looking back. If “Forever Is Over” is a sign of what’s to come on disc #2, sign me up!
No matter how much a person says they are open to all kinds of music, there is always going to be some kind of bias that keeps them from embracing every piece of music they hear with open arms, and I am no exception to that. Here are a few of the (possibly irrational) biases that I bring to the music-listening experience, for better or worse.
– Banjos in pop music – If someone can find a way to legitimately utilize a banjo in a pop song, I’m right on board. [See: “Rainbow Connection”, Jason Mraz] There is something about a banjo that just can’t sound depressing, and when you hear a banjo, chances are good someone’s having a good time. Except if you’re on the wrong end of the Deliverance equation.
– Toby Keith – Early on in his career, Toby Keith was the man. He came across as an everyman who was just trying to get through life without too many missteps, and songs like “Who’s That Man” and “He Ain’t Worth Missing” made for great country music in the 90s. And then 9/11 occurred. “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” is supposed to be a tribute to his dad and the United States in the aftermath of his father’s death and the terrorist attacks of September 11th. By his own description, he didn’t want to originally release the song himself, but at the request of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, he did record it, and the rest is history. What I DON’T think he had to do was wrap himself up in the flag as much as he did, and then attack the Dixie Chicks for Natalie Maines’s comment about being ashamed of then-President Bush while performing in England. By getting involved in that rumble, he ended up with a lot of people saying the same thing about him. Shouldn’t performers be able to express their own opinions, just like anyone else?
How much do I dislike Toby Keith? I won’t even buy a record by an artist on his record label.
– Perez Hilton – So stupid is this man that anything he touches is like Kryptonite to me. For example, PMN favorite Ida Maria, whose “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” was one of the jams of last summer, is about to embark on a tour of the US, and normally this would be cause for rejoicing. However, she’s on the bill for a “Perez Hilton Presents” tour, and no amount of love would get me to purchase a ticket that his name appears on.
What caused this hatred? Take your pick…the whole Will.I.Am altercation in Toronto, the way he handled the fallout from the Miss America gay marriage controversy, his amazingly juvenile and vile website. As long as someone thinks that he is the spokesperson for the LGBT population, he will continue to be among my least-liked people. But you know who I like better because of him? Kelly Clarkson, who was also in Toronto at the time, and called a punk a punk in an interview the next day. We REALLY love Kelly.
– Internet buzz – Yes, I know I am a part of it at times, but there have been times where so much buzz has surrounded an artist that I find myself instantly against that artist, which isn’t fair, but it is what it is. A good example of that is LaRoux, who I didn’t get right away, and the chorus of angels bloggers singing her praises. It didn’t help that an unneeded rivalry was set up in the blogosphere between Roux and Boots, just like they did with Duffy and Adele a year earlier. (BTW, Team Adele FTW!) I know it happens, and I’m at least admitting that I succomb to it, but I doubt it will ever fully go away, given all of the info overload I get from my daily blogroll.
Speaking of Internet buzz, I think the new V Factory track has a chance at being their breakthrough single. But then again, I thought that about “Love Struck”. Props to Mel for sharing “Get Up”.
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